The College Board runs three PSAT tests, each on its own score scale, and the SAT on a fourth. Knowing which scale you are looking at keeps a score from feeling confusing.
PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10: total 320 to 1520, with each section (Reading and Writing, Math) from 160 to 760.
PSAT 8/9: total 240 to 1440, with each section from 120 to 720.
SAT: total 400 to 1600, with each section from 200 to 800.
Notice the pattern: the higher the grade level, the higher the top of the scale. The PSAT 8/9 tops out at 1440, the PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 at 1520, and the SAT at 1600.
The PSAT/NMSQT (taken by juniors) and the PSAT 10 (taken by sophomores) use the same scale. Each of the two sections, Reading and Writing and Math, is scored from 160 to 760, and the two section scores add up to a total between 320 and 1520.
The two tests are the same difficulty and the same length; the only differences are when you take them and whether the score counts for National Merit. Only the junior-year PSAT/NMSQT qualifies you for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
The PSAT 8/9, taken by eighth and ninth graders, uses a lower scale. Each section runs from 120 to 720, so the total runs from 240 to 1440. It is shorter and easier than the PSAT/NMSQT and is meant as an early checkpoint, not a National Merit qualifier.
If you took the PSAT 8/9, do not compare its number directly to a PSAT/NMSQT or SAT score. A 1200 on the PSAT 8/9 represents a different level of performance than a 1200 on the PSAT/NMSQT, because the scales and the difficulty are different.
The PSAT and SAT test the same skills in the same digital format, but the SAT is a little harder and is scored on a higher scale (400 to 1600, with sections from 200 to 800).
Because of the scale gap, a PSAT score does not equal the same SAT score. A student who scores 1300 on the PSAT/NMSQT will usually score a bit below 1300 on a real SAT without further study, because the SAT's harder questions and higher ceiling pull the scaled score down for the same number of correct answers.
Use your PSAT as a forecast, not a promise. It tells you roughly where you sit today and how much work stands between you and your SAT target.
For juniors, the PSAT/NMSQT does double duty as the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. The College Board converts your section scores into a Selection Index.
The formula is simple: double your Reading and Writing score, add your Math score, and divide by 10. The result ranges from 48 to 228. National Merit Semifinalist cutoffs vary by state and year, so check the current cutoff details on collegeboard.org.
Because Reading and Writing is doubled in the index, a strong verbal score helps your National Merit chances more than the same point gain in Math would.
"Good" depends on your goal. The College Board does not publish a single good-score threshold, so the most useful measure is whether you are improving against your own past scores and where your percentiles place you among other students.
If you are aiming for National Merit, you are chasing a Selection Index near or above your state's cutoff, which varies by state and year; see the National Merit details on collegeboard.org.
For the PSAT 8/9, compare against your own past scores and your grade-level percentiles rather than a fixed number. The most useful comparison is always: are you improving?
Your score report shows your total, your two section scores, and your percentiles, which tell you how you compare to other students. Percentiles are often more meaningful than the raw score, because they show whether your score is above average for your grade.
The report also breaks down your performance by skill area, like algebra, problem-solving, and craft and structure. Those sub-scores are your study map: they tell you exactly which topics to drill before your next test.
1520 on the PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10, where each section runs 160 to 760. On the PSAT 8/9 the maximum total is 1440, with sections from 120 to 720.
No. The PSAT is on a lower scale (320 to 1520) and is slightly easier than the SAT (400 to 1600). A 1300 on the PSAT usually maps to a lower SAT score, not a 1300 SAT.
It varies by state and year. The National Merit Semifinalist cutoff is based on the Selection Index, and cutoffs change each year and differ by state, so check the current National Merit details on collegeboard.org.
No. Colleges never receive PSAT scores. The PSAT is for practice and, for juniors, National Merit qualification only.
The College Board doubles your Reading and Writing section score, adds your Math section score, then divides by 10. For example, a 710 in Reading and Writing and a 720 in Math gives (2 x 710 + 720) / 10 = 214.